Staying safe when using E-liquidNo ratings yet.

As you likely know, vaping is a habit that’s completely different from smoking. When you smoke, you use fire to ignite tobacco, and then inhale the fumes. But with vaping, you use an E-liquid, made from a base (usually either propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin, or a mixture of the two) mixed with flavouring and nicotine to produce a ‘vapour’ that contains no smoke, ash, tar, or tobacco of any kind.

This vapour is then inhaled, like cigarette smoke – which is how the nicotine is absorbed into the body.

But is E-liquid safe? Nicotine is, after all, a toxic substance in large-enough amounts.

How can you stay safe when using E-liquid, and avoid problems that could arise from handling, storing, or using it?

Here is what you need to know.

The basics

E-liquid, for the most part, is non-toxic. It is the nicotine in it that really creates the threat of any risk. Nicotine is actually widely recognized as deadly at doses between 30 and 60 milligrams.

This, in theory anyway, makes it more dangerous than arsenic!

The exact toxicity of nicotine is difficult to determine, as there haven’t been a lot of tests performed on the subject. According to this article, which was published on TheGuardian.com, some doctors say that a simple tablespoon of some E-liquids may contain enough nicotine to deliver a lethal dose to an adult. Even worse, it could take just half-a-teaspoon of such liquids to poison a child!

But beyond having a high toxicity, nicotine doesn’t seem to deliver a lot of negative health risks – which means that vaping it, in the proper amounts, doesn’t seem to be that dangerous (many have compared it to getting caffeine from a cup of coffee).

The real key, of course, is to use E-liquid safely. So here are some tips to help you stay safe while you are using this safer, healthier tobacco-product substitute.

Keep it away from children and pets

Pets can chew the plastic bottles or vape pens, which can expose them to enough nicotine content to poison them – and children could ingest the liquid (or even absorb too much nicotine through the skin) if they were somehow able to get the bottle or the vape pen open.

For these reasons, you should make sure to keep track of where your vaping supplies are, and should always keep them locked up when you are not directly handling them.

Use gloves (and caution) when handling concentrated nicotine base

If you plan to mix your own E-liquids, then you might be planning on buying and using your own nicotine base. If you do, make sure to use nitrile gloves, and to mix your E-liquids together in a well-ventilated area where incidental spills would not be a danger or a problem.

It is also very important to remember to dilute your nicotine base properly before mixing your E-liquids – as some of these contain very high concentrations of nicotine, which is extremely poisonous and dangerous if you get it on your skin or in your body.

You would also never want to vape a nicotine base that hasn’t been properly diluted.

Use child-proof caps for your E-liquids

This could make the difference between safety and danger if your child or toddler were to accidentally get a hold of one of the E-liquid bottles. It might seem like a small step – but it is an important one to take in regards to E-liquid safety!

Store your E-liquids properly

For best results, you would want to keep your E-liquids in a cool, dry, dark place. You would also want to keep them away from heat sources and/or open flames of any kind! A cabinet that you can lock works really well, as does a box or a chest that will allow you to keep the contents secure.

Being able to lock the storage space is essential, because it will lessen the odds of someone (especially children) getting their hands on the bottles or devices, which could be very dangerous because of the nicotine content they contain.

Of course, a bit of common sense can go a long way toward avoiding accidents. For best results, try not to allow the E-liquid to touch your skin or enter your body. A tiny bit isn’t a problem – but larger doses could start to produce symptoms.

About The Author

It’s my passion to do the research about familiar to me topics, especially when it comes to electronic cigarettes and the whole vaping industry as such. I hope you will find my content useful and when / if you do – please do share it! I will appreciate it! :) See our ”Who We Are” page to find out more about me and my colleagues. Thanks and I look forward to your comments and feedback.